An internet troll is anyone who posts inflammatory, derogatory or insulting messages online, usually on social media or chat forums,\u00a0 to cause upset or distress to a person or group of people.<\/p>\n
Is internet trolling illegal?<\/strong><\/h2>\nAlthough there are not yet any specific laws against internet trolling, it is covered by parts of some existing laws.<\/p>\n
In England and Wales, the Malicious Communications Act 1988 covers comments which cause \u201cdistress or anxiety\u201d, while the Communications Act 2003 expands on the protection offered by the 1988 Act by including the offence of making threats and establishing the powers of the regulatory authority, Ofcom.<\/p>\n
The last key piece of legislation is the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 which contains offences of online and offline stalking.<\/p>\n
In October 2016, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) tightened up online legislation to include the following offences:<\/p>\n
\n- Creating derogatory hashtags<\/li>\n
- Posting humiliating images, including doctored or Photoshopped images<\/li>\n
- Virtual mobbing – inciting others to harass people online<\/li>\n
- Bating – labeling someone as sexually promiscuous to humiliate them online<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The CPS also announced the launch of a hate crime consultation, issuing a series of public policy statements focusing on crimes against disabled people, as well as racial, religious, homophobic and transphobic hate crime.<\/p>\n
Director of Public Prosecutions Alison Saunders said: \u201cSocial media can be used to educate, entertain and enlighten, but there are also people who use it to bully, intimidate and harass. Ignorance is not a defence and perceived anonymity is not an escape. Those who commit these acts, or encourage others to do the same, can and will be prosecuted.\u201d<\/p>\n
How to tackle internet trolls<\/strong><\/h2>\nPlease, do NOT feed the trolls…<\/h3>\n
This is probably easier said than done \u2013 it\u2019s essentially the equivalent of a teacher\u2019s advice to ignore a schoolyard bully \u2013 but if you don\u2019t react to trolls there\u2019s a good chance they\u2019ll quickly move on to their next victim.<\/p>\n
Trolls exist to cause confrontation and so shouldn\u2019t be confused with those who play devil\u2019s advocate or are genuinely looking to provoke debate.<\/p>\n
Trolls want to cause confrontation to belittle people and cause anguish, and they\u2019re rarely patient people \u2013 so simply starving them of the attention they want can be an effective way to get rid of them.<\/p>\n
This doesn\u2019t mean you have to ignore them completely, just make sure any engagements are measured and thought out, don\u2019t rise to their bait \u2013 if you\u2019re angry, they\u2019re winning – and if possible, report them to any relevant authorities.<\/p>\n
…but do call out the trolls<\/h3>\n
If you simply can\u2019t bite your tongue \u2013 and no-one could blame you \u2013 it could be a good idea to call out the trolls and engage other people in conversation to point out how they\u2019re trying to disrupt the discussion and ways to limit their input.<\/p>\n
And if you\u2019re talking about the troll as though they\u2019re not there, there\u2019s a good chance they\u2019ll get frustrated and bored.<\/p>\n
Once again though, it\u2019s vital you try not to argue with them as you could quickly find yourself dropping to their level \u2013 and this is especially important if you are engaging with a troll on your business\u2019 social media accounts as any skirmish can leave you looking very unprofessional and do damage to your business and your career.<\/p>\n
And this is where humour can be a good weapon \u2013 you need to plan your responses carefully and self-deprecating humour is usually a good tactic to employ, particularly if the troll has attacked what it considers to be a faceless organisation.<\/p>\n
If that doesn\u2019t work make sure you spend no more time engaging with them \u2013 even if they\u2019re not winning the argument, the fact they\u2019re preventing you doing your work or stopping you from engaging with other customers means they\u2019re winning.<\/p>\n
Have you had to deal with internet trolls? Let us know how you dealt with them\u2026<\/strong>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.conferencecall.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/conference-call-banner.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Internet trolls are everywhere \u2013 just as some people turn into psychopaths the second they get behind the wheel of car, others lose all sense of perspective the second they<\/p>\n
The CPS also announced the launch of a hate crime consultation, issuing a series of public policy statements focusing on crimes against disabled people, as well as racial, religious, homophobic and transphobic hate crime.<\/p>\n
Director of Public Prosecutions Alison Saunders said: \u201cSocial media can be used to educate, entertain and enlighten, but there are also people who use it to bully, intimidate and harass. Ignorance is not a defence and perceived anonymity is not an escape. Those who commit these acts, or encourage others to do the same, can and will be prosecuted.\u201d<\/p>\n
How to tackle internet trolls<\/strong><\/h2>\nPlease, do NOT feed the trolls…<\/h3>\n
This is probably easier said than done \u2013 it\u2019s essentially the equivalent of a teacher\u2019s advice to ignore a schoolyard bully \u2013 but if you don\u2019t react to trolls there\u2019s a good chance they\u2019ll quickly move on to their next victim.<\/p>\n
Trolls exist to cause confrontation and so shouldn\u2019t be confused with those who play devil\u2019s advocate or are genuinely looking to provoke debate.<\/p>\n
Trolls want to cause confrontation to belittle people and cause anguish, and they\u2019re rarely patient people \u2013 so simply starving them of the attention they want can be an effective way to get rid of them.<\/p>\n
This doesn\u2019t mean you have to ignore them completely, just make sure any engagements are measured and thought out, don\u2019t rise to their bait \u2013 if you\u2019re angry, they\u2019re winning – and if possible, report them to any relevant authorities.<\/p>\n
…but do call out the trolls<\/h3>\n
If you simply can\u2019t bite your tongue \u2013 and no-one could blame you \u2013 it could be a good idea to call out the trolls and engage other people in conversation to point out how they\u2019re trying to disrupt the discussion and ways to limit their input.<\/p>\n
And if you\u2019re talking about the troll as though they\u2019re not there, there\u2019s a good chance they\u2019ll get frustrated and bored.<\/p>\n
Once again though, it\u2019s vital you try not to argue with them as you could quickly find yourself dropping to their level \u2013 and this is especially important if you are engaging with a troll on your business\u2019 social media accounts as any skirmish can leave you looking very unprofessional and do damage to your business and your career.<\/p>\n
And this is where humour can be a good weapon \u2013 you need to plan your responses carefully and self-deprecating humour is usually a good tactic to employ, particularly if the troll has attacked what it considers to be a faceless organisation.<\/p>\n
If that doesn\u2019t work make sure you spend no more time engaging with them \u2013 even if they\u2019re not winning the argument, the fact they\u2019re preventing you doing your work or stopping you from engaging with other customers means they\u2019re winning.<\/p>\n
Have you had to deal with internet trolls? Let us know how you dealt with them\u2026<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Internet trolls are everywhere \u2013 just as some people turn into psychopaths the second they get behind the wheel of car, others lose all sense of perspective the second they<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Internet trolls are everywhere \u2013 just as some people turn into psychopaths the second they get behind the wheel of car, others lose all sense of perspective the second they<\/p>\n